Ares' Pain
by dracademented
Summary: How does the Goddess of Love react to her brother's distress? Violently. Implied Aphrodite and Ares, implied Ares and Xena, Xena and Hercules {Disclaimer: I own nothing}


Aphrodite was lounging in her temple with Cupid, Deimos and Phobos, when Ares' pain washed over them through the ether. Their sons grabbed their chests, gasping, as Aphrodite struggled to her feet through the sheer agony coursing through her very bones. What could possibly have caused her brother so much distress that he couldn't stop it from leaking through the ether to the other gods? She thought about going to get Xena before she went to his temple, but she didn't want to waste the time, even for his mortal wife. They'd been married six months ago, much to everyone's surprise. It wasn't that he was in love, because he and Aphrodite had been in love for eons, and he loved the rest of their family too, no matter what fight they might be in this century.

It was that this was a _mortal_, and he'd never liked them much. Not that it was anything new for a god to wed a mortal, their lives were very short, after all, but it was _Ares_. She'd been thrilled, she loved it when her love was happy, and he hadn't denied her Adonis, so she was more then willing for him to have a few decades with his beloved warrior. But now she feared the worst as she tried to think through the mind-numbing pain. She grabbed their sons, and slid through the ether. It felt like all her skin was being peeled off and it would never end, but they finally fell out onto the marble floor of Ares' throne room in the Halls of War.

"Are...Are you okay?" She asked them as they got to their feet.

They nodded shakily just as more gods appeared in the room. Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Eris, Enyo, Strife, Kydoimos, Nike, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Thanatos, Enyalius and Anteros all fell from the ether to the ground. Even Hades and Hera hadn't been able to keep their feet through_ that _ride. Everyone who loved him had come, including them, and how could they not? Ares had managed to block thirteen months of anguish and madness from them when he'd been trapped in a bronze jar made from some of Heph's metal that had been stolen, just to spare them his agony.

So something was very, very wrong here. They all looked at each other, then up to the throne. Ares didn't seem to even realize they'd arrived. He was sitting stiffly in his throne, which testified on it's own that something wasn't right, and was staring with dead, haunted eyes at the portal in front of him. They couldn't see what he was watching, but she could guess that's what had caused this. A single tear ran down his cheek, but the terrifyingly blank eyes never wavered. She shared a shocked look with Hera and Hades, before slowly walking towards him.

"Ares, love, can you hear me?" Aphrodite asked cautiously once she was in front of him, but he didn't even glance up, just stared at the portal.

She walked around it so she could get a look at what he was seeing, and she almost fell over again. Rage poured through every cell of her being, and something occurred then that only Ares had ever seen before. The Goddess of Love's eyes turned solid black with murderous fury, as power started trailing over her skin. The other gods stood in shock staring at her, before wondering exactly _what _she'd seen to get her like that. They edged up slowly, circling around the throne, to come to a complete disbelieving standstill when they gazed into the damning portal.

For there laid Ares' wife, the mortal woman Xena. Her face was slack, but not from death. It probably had something to do with the fact Hercules was pounding his cock into her. And she was all for it. The room almost exploded from the force of seventeen deities' rage. The rutting pair in the portal slowed, then stopped, and then they rolled over in satisfaction. They began speaking, and Hera waved a hand so we could hear their words.

"Mmmm...That was nice," Xena purred.

"Yeah." Hercules agreed. "You know, I gotta hand it to you, Xena. You've played that idiot like a cheap lyre. The rest of those 'almighty' gods, too. They've ate it up! What a bunch of morons! When we rule Olympus, you'll be a fine Queen." The rage had intensified beyond belief, and Hera screamed in fury.

"He hasn't offered me the ambrosia yet, dear." Xena continued. "Soon, though. I just gotta lay it on thick about how much I'll 'miss' him..."

That's where they were wrong. Ares wouldn't have given her ambrosia. They didn't just make new gods on whims, not even their mortal spouses. Not that that mattered at the moment.

"Yes," Hercules said gleefully. "You'll save me some and we'll overthrow them..." Wrong again. No ambrosia-eating weakling would have a chance against a god born to it, especially an Olympian. "But I will watch my brother's heart die first when he learns how I've played him, when he learns he's been betrayed. And just when he'd finally opened his heart to a mortal..." Hercules continued, and Ares howled, the first thing he'd done at all since they'd arrived, then whispered.

"I want their blood."

That's all he needed to say, as Aphrodite snarled and disappeared, much to the other's shock, and seconds later they saw her reappear in the portal.

"Will you now?" Aphrodite crooned, her eyes still solid black. Hercules and Xena both lunged out of bed, stuttering.

"It's not...w-what it l-looks like..."

"Oh, I know exactly what it is..." She said, giggling hysterically. She waved a hand and they flew back into the stone wall. She called her power, and let them and the rest of the gods see her dark side for the first time, and realize just how powerful she really was. Ares knew, of course, but no one else had had a clue.

"You," She pointed at Hercules' stunned form, "will die much quicker than her. After all, you're not the first with foolish plans to overthrow us." She turned to Xena, who was looking at her in horror. "But you," Aphrodite hissed, "your death will take quite a bit longer. You will watch your love die," 'Dite kicked Hercules in the head, "then you will pay the debt to my brother with your flesh."

They tried to fight her at first, but it was utterly useless. The watching gods could do nothing but stare in disbelief as the sweet Goddess of Love thrust a dagger through Hercules' heart. Ares didn't seem the least bit surprised, however. Xena wailed, trying to reach Hercules, but 'Dite pinned her to the wall._ Literally_. With six inch metal spikes. Then she conjured a chair, and sat down to file her nails. The gods wondered what she was up to, when Xena screamed. A strip of flesh was peeling away from her arm, and 'Dite watched calmly as the Warrior Princess was flayed alive.

When she said 'with your flesh', apparently she'd been serious. Very serious. Hades, Hera, Enyo, Eris, Deimos, Phobos, Thanatos, Strife and Enyalius watched it all in fascination, while the others looked slightly ill. Almost three hours later, not a single piece of skin was left on Xena's body, but Aphrodite had done something to make her stay conscious through the entire thing. Then she walked up to her, covered her hands in Xena's, then Hercules', blood, and disappeared, leaving a shrieking Xena on the wall. She slid from the ether in front of us, looking like something wild and crazed, and kneeled before Ares.

"Their blood, love." She said, and raised her hands to his face. He raised eyes that were no longer dead, but fierce, and licked a long line of the blood from her hands. She closed her eyes, and he placed his hands over hers. The blood disappeared from her hands, reappeared on his, then sunk into his skin. 'Dite's eyes opened, once again their normal blue. He lifted her gently into his lap, wrapping his arms around her, and closed the portal.

"M-Mom?" Phobos stuttered. 'Dite lifted her head and smiled reassuringly.

"Sorry. I just, like, got a little angry, is all." She said casually, and the gods could do nothing but stare.


End file.
